


Wish

by RobronSugdenDingle



Series: 31 days of Christmas 2019 [15]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Curses, Fluff, Loneliness, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21873928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobronSugdenDingle/pseuds/RobronSugdenDingle
Summary: Aaron's always wished for a lonely life, until he tosses a contrarium coin in the water and makes a wish...
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: 31 days of Christmas 2019 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559164
Kudos: 30





	Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Contrarium- 'opposite' in Latin

  
24th December 2014

Loneliness could be a blessing and a curse. 

At least, that's what Aaron had decided. Growing up, he had never really been popular with anyone. He messed around in school, fought with anyone and anything (apparently his mum had caught him shouting at his football because he was struggling to get a goal) and then school finished, college came around and...

Still no proper friends. He had the occasional few, but for some reason he just felt like he never seemed to fit in with them. He befriended Adam, but Adam seemed to be...too goody two shoes who couldn't let go of his own mums apronstrings. Ross was annoying as all hell, he seemed pretty decent, but then he got nicked for stealing over three grands worth of drugs and Chas decided that no way would she let Aaron involve himself in that mess.

Finn was a wimp, Pete was too boring and much like Adam. Jackson moved away, Alex was creepy and Nathan made him want to ram a knife through his neck.

So in a way, having no friends like this was a blessing. He enjoyed the fact that he didnt need to involve himself in anyone else's dramas, birthdays were extremely cheap...

And he wasnt exactly looking for a long term relationship either. Mainly because...he hadn't gone out looking in the first place. Shortly after college and three years of working at the garage, he moved to a deserted place that had like ten houses all together. It wasnt far from Emmerdale, but it was far enough and he liked that. Plus apparently Cain knew someone who worked with scrap metal there and Aaron took the offer like a child taking candy, without hesitation.

But...

He supposed loneliness really did hit him sometimes. He spotted couples with their kids, his neighbour's, Jimmy and Nicola had been together since forever and sometimes their happiness and their cutesy family moments made Aaron's stomach churn in...a weird way.

This usually only happened during the Christmas period, and usually he would head back to the village and spend it with his mum and Paddy, but work had been slow this month and he only had enough to pay for his rent and a weeks worth of food. He would probably visit after his birthday or something...

Maybe he secretly wanted kids? Maybe he secretly wanted companionship?

So yeah...a blessing and a curse...

He sat in his comfy armchair, wondering briefly when he had turned into a fifty year old man, looked around at his bare living room and he sighed and stood up. Wallowing around like this sucked...

He grabbed his fishing rod from the wall and went to the freezer and took out a bucket of bait. He had recently gotten into fishing, Jimmy showed him how to do the basics and it gave Aaron time to think and calm down and...well, as well as it was for a relaxing technique, he also gained food sometimes so who cared. If he caught fish, he could use up the rest of his potatoes and make fish pie or something.

He made sure to wrap up, took all his gear and headed out. There was a remote place where people went fishing, Jimmy showed him a place where he was guaranteed fish everytime and he sat down and hooked the bait onto the hook. He threw the line, balanced the rod at an angle in between some rocks and took out a magazine and began to read. This was months old but who cared.

Once he had finished his magazine, he realised that the rod hadn't moved at all and so, he brought the line back up and unhooked the bait. He tied a fresh one on this time and went back to fishing.

Whilst he waited, he couldn't help but look up at the sky, admiring the starry view. The stars were barely visible in the village because of all the streetlights, but here...there were none and so...the sky was beautiful. If it was snowing, Aaron was convinced he would look like he's in a christmas movie or something, but he just continued to sit there and admire the sky.

His fingers had scraped along something lumpy on the ground and he picked up a coin, a shiny golden one with a...a fish symbol on it. He read the edges, words circling the outer ring and he squinted his eyes to read it...what did it say?

'Lucky Lucky Water Winner. Toss A Contrarium Coin And Wish'

Eh?

What the heck was this? Toss and make a wish?

Wish for what?

Eh, might as well. Fuck it. It was Christmas...

To a long life of being alone. That's what he wished for. To just...continue this lonely life...

He tossed the coin in the water, scoffed when it did nothing but hit the water with a quiet splash and suddenly, his rod began to shake. He jumped up and pulled on the rod, reeled the line in and frowned when he saw he had just pulled in a small looking fish.

Hang on...

A weird small looking fish...

The hook went right through the fishs bottom lip, the fish bleeding ever so slightly and he groaned and peered at it closer. The fish looked almost golden, its scales bright and covered in tiny brown dots.

He would ask Jimmy tomorrow what sort of fish this was...he didnt want to risk getting food poisoning just because he didn't know what kind this was.

So he packed up everything and took the stupid fish home and dumped it in the bathtub and went straight to bed. He was exhausted...thinking about how lonely you were really was tiring...

...................

Aaron thought he was on drugs.

That was literally his first initial thought.

Because how else were you supposed to explain that you had a naked man in your bathtub with a bleeding bottom lip?

"Who the fuck are you?!"

"Eh?! I'm Robert! You wished for permanent companionship!"

Aaron scoffed and tossed a dirty towel towards the man, looking away as he wrapped it around his waist.

"I-cover yourself up! I didnt wish for anything! I wished for..."

Robert raised an eyebrow with a smug smile and Aaron panicked when he noticed that Robert's bottom lip was still bleeding. 

"How did you even get here?! And why are you naked?!"

"Eh?! You're the one who brought me to life! You saved me from drowning!"

Aaron looked at Robert closer, his blonde hair and freckled face, his bleeding lip...the bathtub...

"You're the fish I caught yesterday arent you?!"

"Mhmm!"

"I...what the fuck?!"

"You're the one who threw in the contrarium coin! You make a wish and get the opposite results!"

Aaron's eye twitched and he stepped back and pointed towards the door.

"Turn back into a fish and get out!"

Robert only frowned and stepped out of the bathroom. He looked around at the bare but cozy living room and he placed himself down on an armchair. Aarons armchair...

"Its Christmas today isn't it?"

"Yeah?"

"I wonder how my familys getting on..."

Aaron frowned a little but he couldn't help but feel sad for the man...was he also alone? Had Aaron just ripped him away from his fish family?

Robert chuckled, but it was a sad one and he sniffed and wiped his eyes that had began to tear up.

"I know what you're thinking and no. My family aren't fish. I was cursed you see...I was told that the only way to break it was if some lonely beggar wanted permanent companionship, if I was actually wanted. My dad didnt want me around..."

Aaron looked around, saw that the man had been shivering and goosebumps began to show on his skin. He grabbed a blanket from the floor, slightly ripped but who cared, and he draped it over the mans shoulders. Maybe it was the loneliness kicking in....maybe it was the festive season...but he felt generous...

"Well...its freezing outside and you've clearly nowhere to go. Stay for Christmas if you want?"

"I haven't got you a present"

Aaron shrugged.

"Obviousiy not stupid. Besides...I think I'd rather enjoy the company"

............................

25th December 2024

"Dad! Dad! Daaaad!"

Aaron groaned and rolled over in his sleep. He peeked one eye open and he found his little girl staring at him. 

"What are you doing up? Its four in the morning...Santa isnt here yet..."

"We both know Santas not real..."

When did eight year olds get so perceptive?

"Dont tell your father. He likes to believe in magic and stuff...anyways, shush, you're going to wake your brother..."

"I know what I want for Christmas now!"

Aaron frowned. She was a bit late to ask for stuff now...

"What?"

"I want a piercing right here! Like the one daddy's got!"

Aaron frowned and turned over, ignoring his daughter.

"No"

She responded by literally jumping on top of him. She hugged him through the covers and Robert stirred awake. She looked at Robert with wide eyes and sniffed.

"Daddy! Can I get a piercing there?!"

Robert looked at Aaron who was shaking his head and he frowned.

"Sorry. Nope..."

She huffed and stepped off the bed and ran out of their bedroom with angry stomping feet. Her noisy self ended up waking up their nine month old son and Aaron groaned.

"Shes grounded...shes so so grounded for a whole year..."

Robert chuckled, leaned over and kissed his husband on the cheek and walked out. He walked straight to the babys room and lifted Sebastian in his arms, calming him down right away. Aaron walked out afterwards, stroking the babys cheek and then poking at the piercing just under Robert's bottom lip.

"You're the one who said I should get the piercing..."

"You had a hole in your mouth! No offense, but I was not gonna kiss you without that in your lip"

Robert glared and Sebastian wriggled his little leg slightly. Aaron bent over slightly and pulled on the bandage around Sebastians legs. The cut was healing up very nicely, and if he healed at the same rate Sophia did when she was a baby, then it should be completely gone in three months.

He wrapped a new bandage on Sebastian who fell back asleep and Aaron looked at the digital clock and sighed.

"Might as well start Christmas early..."

Robert handed Seb to Aaron to hold while he rushed through to get Sophia. He shook her dramatically and screamed that Santa was here and suddenly, her bad mood from earlier disappeared. She screamed in excitement and rushed through, gasping at the sight of presents under the tree.

Aaron sat down in the armchair with Seb in his arms, watching the pair pass around presents and he didnt miss the tiny scar on Sophia's elbow when she ripped open a present. Seb yawned and blinked his eyes open, looking around looking as bored as ever...

When Aaron caught Robert's smile, he smiled back and sighed. Companionship was a blessing and a curse after all...

A curse because with every wish they made, every fish they hooked out of the water, they had to go through twelve months of pain with their child.

He jumped in fright when Robert pressed a kiss against his head and Aaron smiled and leaned into it. Robert pulled away and handed a present to Aaron, took Seb out of his arms and grinned.

"Merry Christmas"

But a blessing because he and Robert gained the family that they had dreamed of.

"Merry Christmas"

**Author's Note:**

> I loved writing this fic so so much....I wrote this because I was reading about Japanese folklore, ningyo and inspiration hit so here!
> 
> Thoughts?


End file.
